A New Life
by Yavor Ivanov
Summary: A dagger shines in the darkness. With this dagger a human life is saved. This is a story of suffering, love, happiness and duty. A nineteen years old girl is torn between helping the one she loves, or saving her new home.


**Part One**  
"Who are you?" the pale-faced man asked, trembling in the cold night.  
"I am death."  
A dagger shined in the moonlight and splattered blood all over the young woman's face. The pale faced man slowly fell to the ground, coughing blood and trying to curse the entire world. His vocal cords were cut, so the only thing that came out of his mouth was hot blood. The attacker put his foot on his victim's head and pushed down until he heard the unpleasant sound of breaking bone.  
The girl was staring at him. His face was covered in darkness under a hood. She couldn't speak, but not because she was in shock… No, the death of her companion was not a crime, according to her thoughts. She didn't realize when she had fallen to the ground.  
The killer stood in front of her like a monument- a dark athletic figure, wrapped up in crude leather clothing that had obviously seen better days. He was still holding his blood soaked weapon. The girl looked at the body lying next to her- his usually pale skin was now even lighter and his face bones were broken. Blood was leaking from everywhere. Her tyrant was now forever dead. The girl couldn't watch any longer, so she turned her eyes to the man, still standing in front of her.  
"Do you need help?" the man whispered.  
The girl responded with a silent glare.  
"Shelter?"  
Again a glare.  
"Can you speak?"  
The girl's lips moved, but there was no speech, no sound at all. She shook her head.  
"I see… do you need help?"  
She nodded. The man reached out with his hand. The girl grabbed his hand and stood up. His touch was rather tender, not what she had expected. A moment of silence quickly ended when the man whispered:  
"Do you want to come with me?"  
Was this a good idea? Where were they going to go? Was the man dangerous? Did she have another choice? Questions like this passed through the girl's mind. She nodded.  
"Good… we will go to High Reach. There we will ensure you shelter and food, at least until you find a place to work." the man removed his hood. The girl saw a face- scarred, with shadows under the olive green eyes that were staring at her with uncertainty, brown hair put behind one of the ears. Although the man's face looked troubled and tired, his once lost beauty was visible. The girl had never seen a man so beautiful in her life. She noticed she was staring in his eyes and quickly turned her sight away.  
"Banard." the man said.  
The girl looked at him confused. What did he mean?  
"My name is Banard."  
The girl smiled. She wanted to tell him her name… if she only had chalk and paper.  
"Let us go before someone sees us standing next to this corpse." the man turned around and started walking away.  
The girl looked at the crooked corpse next to her and made a rude gesture at it. Finally she was free.

The journey was long and tiring, but she had a guardian. Banard was always watching over her, even when she slept. This sometimes scared the girl, but then she remembered how he had saved her from a life of misery and pain. She often held him tightly and didn't let go when they were riding his horse. Even when they stopped she would still hold onto him. After four days of travel in the mountains they arrived at High Reach- a stronghold built in the cliffs, high towers and massive stone walls were slightly visible through the fog and low clouds. As they were riding towards it, Banard told the girl the story of High Reach. It was built by King Hedrin after the conquest of the northern lands. Its main purpose was to protect the crossroads that passed through the mountains. There was a guild that ruled over the stronghold and its citizens from centuries- The Raven's Claw. Banard said that he himself is a member of the guild and had sworn his life into protecting these lands.

"There is only one ruler in High Reach. It is her duty to watch over the citadel and react in times of war." Banard was explaining. The girl felt pride, but couldn't stop the tears coming out of her eyes- a woman, so great and powerful, a ruler… she admired this woman with all her heart, but in the same time she pitied herself- why was she so miserable, why hadn't she done something of importance in her life.  
As time passed on they reached the citadel. Massive stone towers with cylindrical roofs pointed out of the cliffs like they were built into the stone. Between the towers there was a high wall that looked like it had seen many battles, but could withstand every army that tried to attack High Reach. Banard explained that parts of the stronghold were actually tunnels inside the mountains.  
"Some of the tunnels even reach the sea. That means that even if we are besieged we can withdraw to the ships and…" Banard made a short pause. "…and we can abandon High Reach." His words came out of his mouth slowly, like he almost regretted saying them.  
They passed the citadel's main walls and Banard told the girl to leave the horse where they were. He tied it and calmed the girl down by explaining that in High Reach horses are never stolen, nor they ever run away. They headed directly to the highest building in sight, standing proudly on a hilltop at the far side of the town. As they were walking Banard kept telling his companion not to mind the people that were staring at her. He said that bringing aliens in the town wasn't allowed. Life in High Reach seemed simple- the people were looking happy and fresh with a few exceptions- a bunch of people were locked in small cages in the central plaza. Banard said that they were criminals- people who didn't obey the Mistress' laws.  
The two companions reached their destination- The Palace, as Banard kept naming it along the road. This was a spectacular building, made out of stone , with carvings and decorations almost everywhere, but its age was obvious- it was centuries old. The guards opened the gates and Banard and the girl entered a wide corridor. Banard asked one of the guards for something that the girl couldn't see, but it seemed important. When the man received what he was asking for he walked near the hall's wall and waited for the girl to follow him. When she arrived he passed ahead a piece of chalk and said:  
" If I am to ask the Mistress to help you, I must at least know who you are. What's your name?" this sounded serious but the green eyed man smiled and gave the girl the piece of chalk. "You know how to write, don't you?"  
She nodded as she approached the stone wall. Banard was surprisingly excited. The girl started writing something on the wall. When she was finished she moved back, looked at her savior and blushed.  
"_Kaleena…"_ Banard read. "What a beautiful name."  
The girl smiled with tears in her eyes. This was the first time someone had ever asked her what her name was.  
Banard smiled and asked her how old she was. This question was a bit harder for her, but she managed to write:  
"I think I am around nineteen winters old."  
Banard suddenly thought to himself- where did she learn to write that good? He decided not to ask her this.  
Banard never really had the chance of closely looking at Kaleena. He saw her dirty black hair, falling on her shoulders. Her eye color was new to Banard- the pupil rims were blue, but in the center the pupils were olive green, almost like Banard's green eyes. The tears that broke out a few moments ago were making her eyes look like beautiful diamonds from the Southern thaigs. The soft curves of her nose suggested that she's definitely not from the Northern Kingdoms, she was more likely born in the West. Her lips were dry- she had probably drank water only twice during the travel with Banard, even when he gave her all the water he had. She was quite tall for a woman from the West- her eyes were on the same level as Banard's shoulders.  
Kaleena noticed the man staring at her and blushed again. He quickly apologized.  
"Let's speak to the Mistress, shall we?" said Banard.  
The girl turned around and wrote another thing on the wall:  
_"Thank you for saving my life."_  
Banard smiled and tried to hide his true feelings. He wasn't sure what would happen to Kaleena after they talked to the Mistress.  
They both entered the Great Hall. The hall was huge, but didn't have almost any windows. Darkness had fallen over most of the hall, except the places where candles were lit. In front of the two newcomers there was a throne. All windows pointed at it, so in the evening light the marble chair looked like made out of ice. At first Kaleena didn't notice anyone sitting on the throne, but after checking again she saw her… the Mistress. She looked like an ordinary woman, at least from far. Banard halted at the door and put his arm on Kaleena's shoulder.  
"We need permission to enter" he said whispering.  
"You have my permission to enter… as always." a powerful female voice chanted through the hall's many shadows.  
Banard and Kaleena walked down to the throne. Banard stopped a few meters from it and bowed deeply to the ground. The newcomer girl followed his lead.  
"State your business, Banard." the mistress said.  
The two visitors stood up. Kaleena looked at the woman in front of her- her hair was very long and partially gray. Her hair had once been dark, but that would have been years ago. The crown on the woman's head reflected the moonlight and the diamonds on it sparkled as stars. The young girl had thought the Mistress would look very proud and majestic, but the image before her was different. An aging woman, with tired eyes and grey hair.  
"I finished my mission, your ladyship." said Banard.  
"And I suppose this here is the trophy, then?" said the mistress while pointing at Kaleena's weak body.  
"Your ladyship… I would ask you to give this poor girl a home here in High Reach. The man that I killed… he was abusing her. Her past is full of misery and suffering." Banard started begging his ruler.  
The Mistress looked at the girl again.  
"What do you think of this, young child?" asked the older woman.  
"…She can't speak, my mistress." explained Banard.  
"Ooh so we have a different one, don't we? Why yes we do." The Mistress smiled. "I'm sick of everybody speaking… it makes me tired." The woman yawned.  
"Can we give her shelter here in High Reach?" asked Banard with all his respect.  
"I'm not sure this is a good idea, warrior." the woman pushed her eyebrows together. "She's and alien. Do you know where she comes from?"

Banard didn't know what to say. Kaleena raised her hand.  
"Yes, child?" the mistress looked at the girl before her.  
Kaleena still had Banard's chalk in her hand, so she bowed again this time not revering the ruler. She wrote a few words on the ground. Banard read them:  
_"I was born in the West. I don't know where. I remember only my mother, but then we got separated. She thought me how to write."_  
"The West never had arguments with High Reach, my ladyship. I beg you…" Banard started speaking, but his words were interrupted by the Mistress' voice.  
" I wish to know more of our guest."  
"She was with Regnald, the slaver I killed on the mission. He…" Banard's words were yet again interrupted by Kaleena's hand on his shoulder. The girl crouched and the chalk started scrubbing the ground again.  
_"Regnald was my master. He was treating me and the other girls with no respect. He beat us and cursed us. Regnald was taking me to my buyers. Banard is my savior. He saved the lives of many by killing that monster. I will always be grateful for what he did."_  
"Intriguing story… will you bring trouble to our stronghold?" the crowned woman said.  
Kaleena shook her head.  
"… Very well then you have my permission to stay in our town, just mind yourself or you will end up as the poor fellows in the cages outside." The Mistress pointed to the exit.  
Banard laughed from happiness so loudly that a few nesting birds in the giant hall got scared and flew out of the windows. He took Kaleena in his hands. This was the first time he felt Kaleena so close to him. He lifted her in his arms and walked out of the hall, then out of the palace. He dropped her down and hugged her one more time, then looked in her beautiful happy eyes. She was smiling and crying. The moonlight made her skin look soft as silk and Banard stroked her cheek. Their heads instinctively started moving slowly towards each other. And then in the evening, standing in front of High Reach's palace, they kissed for the first time.  
After showing her the most important and interesting places in town, Banard escorted her to her new home. A villa with a garden in the town's outskirts. He kissed Kaleena's hand and said goodbye.  
The girl touched the flowers around her, walked down a path leading to her home's door and entered it. The house had two rooms that were decorated with paintings and handmade vases. She now had a fireplace, a kitchen, a bed and a beautiful veranda- the perfect home. Kaleena spent her evening in her garden and then went to bed.  
Banard returned to his home- a quite big house near the town's centre that belonged to his father- Arden- before he died. Ten out of thirty winters in his life were spent without his deceased parent- ten lonely and hard years. At least his father saw Banard's rite of passage in the Raven's Claw. "At least he died with pride of his son." usually said Banard just to comfort himself. Banard never knew his mother, only her name- Lorelle.  
He went to bed, thinking of the angel he had saved. 

**Part Two**  
Why were there screams so early in the morning? Was it normal?  
Kaleena got out of bed and walked down her new home's corridor. She opened the front door and saw something that she would never forget. High Reach was burning. Dark smoke clouds were hovering above the mountains as the buildings burned. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Maybe it was just a dream?  
Several armed men were coming towards her home. She quickly closed the door, praying they didn't see her. With stinging fear in her heart she rushed to the bedroom. There was nowhere to go, so she slipped under the bed. Silence… there wasn't anyone in her home, at least for now. She tried to calm down a little and focused on listening closely to what was happening in her yard. There were definitely men outside. Suddenly everyone stopped talking. Why were they attacking the stronghold? Where was Banard? The moments of silence were broken by footsteps. Two men entered the girl's room. She held her breath and froze in place. A man approached the bed, she remained still for a second but then two hands grabbed Kaleena and dragged out of her hiding spot…

"One dead…. two down…. three…" Banard was counting down his kills. The invaders had strong armor and weapons, but thanks to Banard's skill and the help of ten more Raven's Claw members they were defeated at least in this street. Banard crouched and checked his enemies for signs of their origin. According to him and a few of his fellow warriors the invaders were not from the Northern Kingdoms. They were from somewhere far.  
"We need to protect the palace, Banard!" one of High Reach's warriors shouted. "I heard the bastards were marching towards it! We need to save the Mistress."  
Banard stood up and turned around to see the man that was yelling. He was not older than Kaleena.  
"Men hear me well!" Banard was speaking to all his companions. "You must save our lady! Unfortunately I won't be coming to help you… at least not in the beginning."  
"What are you talking Banard? Have you lost your mind?" the younger warrior asked him.  
"I know what I am doing, lad! You can still reach the Palace before our invaders. Stop them at all costs!" Banard turned around and ran away.  
_Kaleena… _What had happened with her? Did they reach her home? Banard was praying to god while running down the burning streets of High Reach. There was fighting everywhere.  
He finally reached Kaleena's home and saw it burning. His heart froze as he rushed to see what had happened. Before entering the burning house he pulled out his sword.  
"Kaleena!!! Where are you?!" he was yelling.  
He entered the smoked corridor and held his breath, hopelessly looking for his angel. He checked in all rooms, but couldn't find her. The only thing that gave him hope was that she had probably escaped her home and fled to safety. Banard quickly jumped out of the kitchen window and landed in the garden, where the beautiful flowers were choking on the black smoke. Where was she?

Kaleena opened her eyes and became confused. What happened? The back of her head hurt, so she touched it. Blood… She had obviously lost conscience. The girl looked around herself. There were many people around and they all looked like the citizens of High Reach. Yes! They WERE the citizens. She was probably somewhere safe. After looking at the villagers' faces again she changed her opinion. They were miserable and scared, the babies were crying, some of the women were praying and most of the men were arguing.  
"Why did they drag us all here?"  
"Why didn't they just kill us in place?"  
"We are prisoners!"  
They were in some kind of cave with only a metal door on one of the walls. Kaleena tried to concentrate and listen to the people around her.  
"They dragged us here by force. I think we are still in High Reach. " One of the people said.  
"We must be inside the mountains! Those bastards locked us inside the mountains." a woman yelled.  
"I'm sure we are in the mountains. The rock is solid and dry." said an intelligent-looking old man with white beard.  
…The mountains? Kaleena tried to remember something that just slipped through her mind. …Yes! She remembered Banard telling her that the mountains had a series of tunnels, some of which even leading to the sea- to safety! But where was Banard? She calmed herself down by thinking of how skilled he was in battle. He would never die in a duel. The girl decided to remind the villagers of the tunnels. But how?  
A man was holding a piece of chalk in his hands. How lucky! Kaleena stood up and started walking through the villagers. She politely took the chalk out of the unsuspecting man and went closer to a wall.  
"Hey give me that back!" the man yelled at her after realizing that he had lost his chalk.  
"It's the alien!" a woman said.  
"She's the one that brought the invaders here!"  
Kaleena started writing on the wall.  
"_Citizens of High Reach, I am not the one responsible for your losses"  
_The white bearded man read the writings on the wall. He read them out loudly and everyone stopped talking. It seemed that most of the people couldn't read.  
"_Thank you." _the writings on the wall continued._  
_"You are welcome, child." said the intelligent man. "I am Sedrick- one of High Reach's few scholars. "I see that you may have a plan." said the man after seeing the determination in the girl's eyes.  
Kaleena started writing again:  
_"The man that brought me here-Banard- yesterday told me High Reach had a series of tunnels in the mountains. If we look around we may be able to find a hidden entrance to these tunnels and save ourselves, for we are probably the only ones left alive…"_  
Sedrick read the writings to the villagers and waited for a response.  
"Why would we listen to the alien?"  
"These tunnels are a myth- even if they existed we might lose ourselves in them. They shall become our tomb!"  
The scholar waited for the citizens to stop yelling and said:  
"These tunnels are our only choice, so I stand with the girl. The enemy has no chance of knowing about our secrets. I will try to find a way! Who shall try with me?"  
The villagers were unsure, but after just a second one of them said:  
"I am with the girl."  
After that more joined Kaleena's plan.  
"I will seek the tunnels."  
"I want to be free!"  
"The girl will save us!"  
"Listen to the scholar, everybody! We must find a way out."  
At the end almost everybody was digging in the walls and searching for an entrance to the secret passage.

The Palace- it was too late. Banard had arrived at the Palace too late to save it. The windows were coughing up flames and parts of the building were falling to the ground. The warrior entered the massive building through the broken gates. The giant corridor was full of corpses. There were no live defenders in it- only three attackers. Banard charged one of them, cut one of his arms off and them beheaded him. The two left were killed by a falling piece of the ceiling. Banard hurried to see what happened to the Mistress. He fell on his knees when he saw her- a body stained in blood lying on the floor alongside her defenders. Banard placed the fallen crown back on the Mistress' head and bowed deeply. High Reach was lost. He stood up and looked at the building- The once majestic Palace was now falling apart. Banard turned to his left and saw something familiar- black writings on one of the walls:  
"_Kaleena……… Thank you for saving my life"  
_His eyes filled with tears. He could not save her… not this time. The man fell to his knees again. A few moments later the Palace's columns broke and the building crumbled down.

Kaleena was digging with her bare hands in the loose rocks of the cave. Hope had deserted her. The only thing that kept her still digging was thinking how her savior would never give up trying to save the innocent people. She thought of the only person that had inspired her through her hard life, her only parent, her mother- Lorelle…  
And then Kaleena felt a cavity between the stones. She pushed harder and soon there was a hole in the wall. The other villagers helped with digging a bigger hole. Soon everybody passed through the passage that joined the tunnels with Kaleena leading them. The girl that a week ago was going to be someone's property was now leading the citizens of High Reach to safety. After two hours of walking in the darkness the group found the exit. They were at the sea- two ships were anchored at a pier.  
"Thank you! Oh, thank you for saving our lives, girl." Sedrick the scholar said to the new hero. "Thank you for making us believe!"  
Soon the ships were ready to sail with all the saved citizens on board. Kaleena needed a few moments by herself. She had saved these people, but couldn't save her hero- Banard. 


End file.
